Flat-fee licensing representation for entertainment industry rights and royalties. Music sync licensing, content licensing for film and TV, merchandise and brand licensing for entertainment IP, image and likeness rights, and the contract infrastructure of how creative work generates revenue beyond its original use.
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Licensing is how creative work generates revenue beyond its original use. A song recorded for an album generates additional revenue when licensed for film, advertising, video games, or other media. A photograph generates revenue from each licensed use beyond the original publication. A character or brand from a successful film, show, or comic generates revenue from merchandise, theme park rides, video games, and countless other extensions. Licensing is, in many entertainment careers, where the durable revenue lives — the original work creates the IP, and licensing monetizes it across decades.
The legal architecture of entertainment licensing is contract law applied to specific kinds of intellectual property. Each license addresses similar core questions: what specific rights are being granted (which IP, for what use, in what format), what the term is (how long the license lasts), what the territory is (where the license applies), whether the rights are exclusive or non-exclusive, what the financial structure is (flat fee, royalty, hybrid, advance against royalties), what quality and approval standards apply, and what happens at the end of the term. The variations are substantial across IP types and industries — sync licensing for music has different conventions than merchandise licensing for film characters, which differs from image licensing for stock photography — but the core framework is recognizable across types.
Most of our licensing work falls into a few patterns. Talent and rights-holder side: representing musicians, filmmakers, photographers, artists, and other creators in licensing their work to others (negotiating sync licenses for music placements, licensing photos for editorial or commercial use, structuring merchandise licenses for entertainment IP). Licensee side: representing companies that want to license entertainment IP for their products, advertising, or content. Estate and legacy work: managing licensing for established artists or their estates. The work matches our flat-fee model — most licensing transactions have defined scope and clear deliverables.
This page focuses on entertainment-industry licensing specifically. For general business licensing (technology licensing, commercial IP licensing outside entertainment contexts), our commercial contract attorney page covers that work. For trademark registration (the foundation of brand licensing), see our trademark attorney page.
Sync licensing is the use of music in audiovisual content — film, TV, advertising, video games, online video. Sync licenses involve both the master recording (the specific recorded performance) and the composition (the underlying song), often owned by different parties, and licenses typically need to be obtained from both. Key terms: the specific use (project, format, duration), the term (often perpetual for film/TV uses, time-limited for advertising), the territory (often worldwide for online media, sometimes more limited for traditional broadcast), the fee structure (flat fee, sometimes plus performance royalties), and approval rights. We negotiate sync licenses on both sides — for rights holders licensing their music and for productions seeking music for specific uses. More on music industry work →
Licensing existing content for use in new productions — clip licensing for documentaries, archive licensing for productions using historical footage, format licensing (licensing the format of a TV show for international remakes), and various other content licensing arrangements. Each has industry-specific conventions. We handle content licensing for both content owners (licensing their material) and content users (seeking licenses for productions).
Successful films, TV shows, comics, books, and characters generate substantial revenue from merchandise licensing — apparel, toys, collectibles, food and beverage, and countless other product categories. License terms cover the specific products authorized, the territory and term, royalty rate (typically 5-15% of wholesale, varying by product category), advance and minimum guarantee structure, quality control and approval rights (the rights holder approves designs to maintain brand consistency), and termination provisions. Merchandise licensing is a substantial industry with established conventions; we handle deals at small and mid-market scale.
Licensing of characters, brands, and IP for various uses beyond merchandise — promotional partnerships, themed experiences, cross-brand collaborations, location-based entertainment. Each deal is typically more bespoke than standard merchandise licensing because the use cases vary substantially.
Licensing photographs, illustrations, and other still images for editorial use, commercial advertising, marketing materials, websites, and other media. Image licensing has industry-specific conventions around use rights (rights-managed vs. royalty-free models), exclusivity, territory, and term. We handle image licensing for photographers, illustrators, and visual artists licensing their work, and for businesses licensing images for specific uses. More on visual artist work →
Licensing the use of a person's name, likeness, or identity for commercial purposes. The right of publicity (state law that protects against unauthorized commercial use of identity) is the legal foundation; licenses grant specific rights to specific uses for specific terms. We handle right-of-publicity licensing for talent and for businesses seeking to use talent identities in their marketing or products. More on sponsorship and endorsement work →
For substantial licensing arrangements, royalty obligations need ongoing administration — receiving royalty statements, verifying calculations, identifying underpayments. For active licensing portfolios, we coordinate ongoing rights management or refer to specialized administrators. For specific royalty disputes, we address the contract interpretation and negotiate resolution; substantial royalty audits typically involve auditing specialists in coordination.
For artists, estates, or rights holders with substantial bodies of work, licensing strategy goes beyond individual deals — what to license vs. what to keep exclusive, how to maintain brand quality across many licensees, when to sell vs. license, how to structure licensing to maximize long-term value. We provide strategic counsel for clients with substantial portfolios in addition to handling individual transactions.
All work is flat-fee, set in writing before any work begins. Pricing scales with deal complexity: simple sync licenses or single-image licensing deals price modestly; complex multi-territory merchandise licensing deals or multi-rights bundled licenses price higher.
For rights holders with regular licensing activity, we sometimes structure ongoing relationships covering routine licensing work and template development for recurring deal types.
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Sync licensing covers the use of music synchronized to audiovisual content (film, TV, ads, video games). The 'sync license' typically refers to licensing the composition (the song itself, separate from any specific recording) — getting permission to use the song. The 'master license' covers the specific recorded performance — getting permission to use that particular recording. For most uses involving recorded music, you need both: a sync license from the composition rights holder and a master license from the master recording rights holder. They're often owned by different parties (a publisher owns the composition, a label owns the master), so two separate negotiations and two separate fees.
By industry conventions and negotiation. Common ranges: music sync licenses are typically flat fees or sometimes flat fee plus performance royalties; merchandise licenses typically range 5-15% of wholesale revenue depending on product category and IP value; image licenses range from $25 for simple editorial use to thousands for high-value commercial use. The rates depend on the IP's value, the specific use, the licensee's market, and negotiation leverage. We help rights holders understand market rates and negotiate accordingly.
Not strictly required, but recommended for substantial works. Copyright in original works arises automatically; you can license work without registration. Registration adds enforcement options (statutory damages, attorney's fees in litigation) that aren't available without registration, and registered work has stronger evidence in any future dispute. For valuable IP that's being licensed, registration is small insurance against future enforcement issues.
Exclusivity restricts the licensor from granting similar rights to others during the license term. Exclusive licenses give the licensee the only rights to the specific use; non-exclusive licenses let the licensor grant similar rights to multiple parties. Exclusivity affects pricing substantially — exclusive licenses command higher fees because the licensor gives up future revenue opportunities. The scope of exclusivity matters: exclusivity in defined territories, defined product categories, or defined media is more limited than blanket exclusivity. Carefully drafted exclusivity matches the licensee's legitimate competitive interest without unduly restricting the licensor's future options.
Depends on the use and the IP. Sync licenses for film and TV are often perpetual (the film exists forever, the music in it can't be removed). Sync licenses for advertising are typically time-limited (1-3 years matching campaign duration). Merchandise licenses typically run 2-5 years with renewal options. Image licenses for editorial use are often single-use; commercial image licenses can be longer. The term affects pricing — longer terms cost more. We discuss the appropriate term based on the specific use case.
Flat fee set in writing before any work begins. Pricing scales with deal complexity. Get a free quote in under an hour by submitting the contact form.
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